Electric rail-bond.



F. W. GORDON.

ELECTRIC RAIL BUND.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1915. V

MAMU. Patented Nov. 5,1918.

Ell

FRED W.GO]R,JDO1\T, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO QUASI-7AM()WELJDTJELOJDE COM- PANY, 0F YORK, N. Y., .l-l. CORPORATION OF NEW YOK.

nltncrnro nant-nenn.

epeoicatton ot' Letters Patent.

Patented New. .5,

Application tiled June 29, 1915. Serial No. 36,919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRED W. GORDON, of New York, in the county of NewYork, and in the State of New York, have invented a certain new landuseful Improvement in Electric Rail-Bonds, and do hereby declare thatthe Jfollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention has been to provide an electric rail bond,which shall have, among others, the advantages of simplicity, ofcheapness, of capability of being formed by welding, and of admittingrelative movement of the bonded rails under the action of contractionand expansion, and to such ends my invention conists in an electric railbond and method of forming the same hereinafter specified.

ll/ly invention is capable of embodiment in many ditierent forms, and inthe accompanying drawings l have illustrated the best embodiment thereofknown to me, but such embodiment is to be regarded as typical only ofmany possible embodiments, and my invention is not to be conned to suchspecic embodiment.

ln the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view ot portions ot rails connected togetherin accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section ot the same.

It is desired to form a bond between the rails 1 and 2 of such a natureas to ed'ectively carry electric current from one to the other. lt isnecessary, however, in actual practice, to provide for a movement of therails toward and from each other, due to alternations ot temperaturewhich serve to lengthen and contract the rails, so that their abuttingvends approach and recede from each other. l also desire to use a simpleconductor consisting preferably ot a sin le piece of metal, andpreferably one winch can be cut from a sheet or bar and formed intolinal shape by a-simple operation such as stamping. ll also desire tounite the piece forming the bond with the rails by welding or othermethod, so as to form a perfect electric contact. 'llhese conditions arecomplied with by the construction and mode ot operation which l shallnow describe.

ll form the bonding piece of anelongated plate or bar 3 which is narrowenough so that it can lit against the web of the rail between the treadand base. ln the present instance ll-have Shown the use of a plate. llweld the plate to the rail along its upper and l lower side edges l and5 at the ends ot the plate, and also along its inner tace, whereby thewelded surfaces of the bond `contorno to the side recesses of the rail,and provide a large contact area between the rail and bond, since boththe face and side edges of the latter are utilized for such purpose. ll,however, avoid welding the plate 3 along its central portion where itapproachesl and crosses the joint 7 between the rails, and l deflect itfrom a straight line between its ends preferably as shown to form anarch 8, so that the ends may move with the respective rails to whichthey are secured, and the arch may bend to permit the relative movementof the rails as above referred to. The usual sh plates may or may not beused as desired, and my bonding plates may be used on both sides of therail at the same time, it desired.

llt will be understood that instead ot one ybond, on a given side of arail joint, several bonds may be need on such side.

l claim:

l. The combination with meeting rails, ont a bond integrally united witheach rail, sald bond being-'conformed to the side recesses ot the railsat the points of union therewith, said bond being arched intermediateits ends to take np expansion and contraction ot the rails.

' 2. 'lhe combination with meeting rails oit a bond connecting saidrails and contormm to the side recesses thereof at the points o" contacttherewith, said bond being arched intermediate its ends to take upexpansion and contraction of the rails.

3. In combination, abutting .rail ends, and

bond fixed to said ends and inclosing said fish-plate, said 'bondcomprising a strip of metal in contact with the side' recesses of therails along a face and both slde edges.

lln testimony that ll claim the foregolng ll have hereunto set my hand.

FEED W. GORDON. Witnesses:

EDWIN J. Parlante, AGNES F. MoLAnemrN.

o a fish plate securing said rails together, a,

